Apparel belts have been in existence for many decades and in many forms. Most trouser pants have belt loops sewn around the waist to accommodate an apparel belt, which acts to hold the trousers up. A typical belt consists of one continuous strip of sturdy material, such as leather, rope or tightly woven cotton, with a belt buckle and tongue attached to one end and a series of notches punched out of the other end. The user wraps the belt around his or her waist and then feeds the notched end through the buckle, inserts the buckle's tongue through the notched hole and then feeds the rest of the notched end through a belt loop to secure the belt in place. The buckling and unbuckling of belts typically requires the use of two hands and a certain level of manual dexterity. This can present an insurmountable challenge for some persons, for example people with disabilities affecting their dexterity. For these people, a belt that can easily be put on and taken off but that still functions as a traditional belt and gives the appearance of being a traditional belt is highly desirable. While there are a few examples in the prior art of belts using hook and loop type fasteners (Velcro®) in attempts to create such a belt, the present invention has unique and desirable features lacking in the prior art.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,898 to Jones et al. discloses two elongated, flat belt end-tabs designed to be attached to opposite ends of a torso-encircling strap. Each end tab is fitted with VELCRO®-type hook and loop fasteners for securing the belt in place. A decorative buckle is mounted to the topside of one of the end tabs to give the appearance of being fastened with a buckle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,853 to Tanner discloses a belt comprised of two portions attached together by stitching or fastening. Attached to the terminal end of the first portion is a simple buckle loop. A strip of VELCRO®-type hook and loop fastener is attached to the inside of the second portion. When the end of the second portion is threaded through the buckle loop on the first portion and looped back upon itself, the VELCRO®-type hook and loop fastener secures the belt to itself. The first portion has a decorative front portion attached to it.
U.S. Patent App. No. 2005/0060791 to Garrett discloses a belt with a lead end and a following end. The loop side of the VELCRO®-type hook and loop fastener is attached to the outside of the lead end and the hook side of the VELCRO®-type hook and loop fastener is attached to the inside of the following end. The lead end is fed through the belt loops and the following end is attached to the lead end by joining the hook and loop sides of the VELCRO®-type hook and loop fastener.